

We have been placed in a very strange position. Our mission, which we have chosen to accept, is to witness the potential final chapter in a long line of intense spy adventures. This is where things get tricky. We saw it. I saw Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in IMAX, the way God intended, and it was exactly what it was supposed to be. A massive blockbuster with some of the most intense and exciting scenes I’ve seen… this year. Tom Cruise reminds us all that he’s truly an insane apex predator disguised as a “Hollywood” actor through his insane physical stunts… again. If I’m being completely honest, expectations were met, but little else was achieved.
Spearheaded by writer, director Christopher McQuarrie, who returns for his 4th time, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning gives the impression of being the final chapter in the Mission: Impossible franchise, while also being a direct sequel to the previous film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Oh, wait, I guess we’re supposed to call that just Dead Reckoning now. Alright. Legendary Superspy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must complete his deadliest mission in order to stop the AI threat known as “The Entity,” AKA basically Skynet without a robot army. He is supported by returning teammates Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Grace (Hayley Atwell), as well as former villain Paris (Pom Klementieff), who must complete a nearly impossible mission… things go wrong, they do crazy stunts, you know the rest.
Now, the plot of this film is extremely messy; thankfully, numerous members of the cast are here to explain it to you every 10 minutes or so. Complicated schemes and incoherent technical breakdowns are common in the M:I universe, but it’s a high hurdle to jump when watching The Final Reckoning. Not only does the film need to remind you of all the revelations from Dead Reckoning, but it must also open a completely new can of worms via the most insane, all-or-nothing mission filled with submarines, Russians, nuclear arms, and propeller planes. It’s a lot. The good news is, it’s also a lot of fun. With the stakes through the roof and seemingly every force on earth against our heroes, The Final Reckoning is the culmination of all previous M:I films into one massive finale where truly everything is on the line, and you can’t help but feel immensely invested.
As previously stated, this film gives “the impression” that this will be the final chapter, thus much of the plot details involve call backs, references, and resolutions to events from the previous M:I films. This leads to a lot of moments where characters have to spoon-feed you exposition and a small Wikipedia entry on M:I lore. While watching, I saw The Final Reckoning as less of a film and more as a heightened TV series finale, which sort of tracks with it being based on a Television show. This does not hurt my impression of the film, but I do find it important to point this out because, much like a TV series finale, this film’s narrative only works if you’ve seen the whole season. As a fan, this worked on me, but I could see people who’ve only seen the first one and maybe 2 others being a little confused.
The only thing more complicated than the plot are the set pieces, and this is why you go and see this film in IMAX (or really any format, but trust me, IMAX is the way to go if possible). Sure, you might be interested in the “conclusion” of Ethan Hunt’s life mission, but c’mon. You wanna see Tom Cruise dangle from a prop plane as it gracefully glides across the beautiful hills of South Africa. While there are attempts at conveying a theme about coming together in times of chaos, the point of the film is that Tom Cruise is going to spend 20 minutes in a sunken submarine that just so happens to rest on the edge of an underwater cliff. In this regard, the Final Reckoning creative team succeeds in presenting intense, breathtaking action moments that are only comparable to previous moments found in other Mission: Impossible films. Stunt-wise, expectations are met as Cruise somehow puts his ever-aging body through the ringer, namely the prop plane scene, which by itself is worth the price of admission.
Speaking of Cruise, his performance is immaculate… physically. Emotionally… not so much. Cruise applies the bare minimum charm needed to play Hunt, but you can see that most of his efforts are more focused on pushing his body through huge stunt performances than dramatic moments. The rest of the cast is comprised of solid character actors who exist to explain things or be helpful. This includes some of my personal favorites, including Katy O’Brian, Tramell Tillman, Hannah Waddingham, and Nick Offerman. Alongside them, the film features many returning M:I alumni, including recent additions Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis, as well as Henry Czerny and Rolf Saxon, who were in the first M:I film. These supporting cast members elevate the crisis through complications. Every returning character brings unique baggage to their portions of the plot, whether it be personal history with Ethan Hunt or further motivation for their actions via their involvement in previous M:I stories. While it’s neat to include these, I’m not sure many people are going to clap when Saxon enters frame, even if he’s giving one of his best performances in years.
Front and center alongside Cruise are Pegg, Atwell, Rhames, and Klementieff, who are doing what they can with what they get. They are not allowed to do the crazy stunts, so most of their task involve a computer or a brief fight scene. Rhames attempts to be the soul of the film here, but unfortunately, his contribution lacks any real punch and feels less passionate than his Arby’s commercials. Pegg looks tired, and the script provides very little for him to work off of. Atwell and Klemntieff are able to get a few moments here and there, but they are pale imitations of their characters from the previous film. The highlight of this film has to be Esai Morales, who gives up on being mysterious and leans into being a total maniacal mastermind supervillain who is always one step ahead of Hunt. Where his last performance in Dead Reckoning fell flat, this time around, he’s a ton of fun as the ultimate antagonist who uses his limitless resources to torment Hunt and company every step of the way. Morales is a bull, and every scene with Morales is a china shop. The tension comes not from what he will do, but when he will do it.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continues the legacy of being the peak of action set pieces in American cinema. The film does not achieve anything new, but it does meet the extremely high expectations set by the previous films. Tom Cruise does the big stunts, the action is immaculate, and the moments are engaging. Does this film provide a complete narrative arc for its characters? Don’t worry about it, just go out and trust Tom Cruise, “One Last Time.”
3/5
The eighth and potentially final film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning picks up right after the conclusion of the last film with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) on the run as he attempts his most dangerous mission: to destroy the evil, all knowing Artificial Intelligence being known as “The Entity”. Joined by fellow agents Grace (Hayley Atwell), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Benji (Simon Pegg), Hunt and company must face off against both the US government and the chaotic mastermind Gabriel (Esai Morales), in order to destroy “The Entity” and save the world. With supporting performances from Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Rolf Saxon, Katy O’Brian, Tramell Tillman, Hannah Waddingham, and Nick Offerman, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and is produced by Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, TC production, and Truenorth Productions. Trust Ethan Hunt one last time on May 23rd. If you’re a fan of the series, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not, then probably skip this one and come back to it after you’ve binged the rest. This review will self-destruct in 30 seconds.